The Night That’s Haunted Me For Years.. He Started Masturbating In The Lift..

This was the most horrifying experience I’ve ever had as a girl. Never said it out loud but today, I think I can and I should. Watching all the incidents women go through and how mindsets are getting ‘contaminated’ by men, its time we speak up.

Yes, my story isn’t something extra ordinary but I went through it and it was traumatizing. It was back in 2010, when I was just 15. It was a normal day, out with my friends in the evening, to go and talk about random things, and just chill. It was getting dark and I knew it was time to go home. Being a Naval officers daughter, I’ve always lived in a well secured environment, and was protected at all times. But today I was proved wrong.

It was around 7.50pm when I decided to walk back home. I entered the lift alone. Just a few seconds before it could shut, a man walked it. He looked like he was in his mid 30s, shabbily dressed, of course he was one of the workers around. I avoided any kind of eye contact and pretended to be busy in my phone.

I pressed the forth floor, and he pressed the last floor. I didn’t care much until I saw his hand moving at one place constantly. I didn’t look. It kept happening until I heard something ‘falling’. I was freaking scared to even look. Being in a lift which is as small as 4x8feet, I could only wait to get out of it as soon as possible. I was sweating with fear. Finally, I reach my floor and the lift opened. I rushed out of it and just to see what he was doing, I turned back and looked at him. I wasn’t wrong. I saw his penis out of his pants.

I rushed back home, scared for life. All I could do was, thank god he didn’t touch me. This incident haunted me for a long time. I was just fucking 15. Being in the lift alone with a man masturbating, gave me sleepless nights. I couldn’t get that image out of my head.

When I came home, I didn’t know what to do. I was in my washroom crying. I didn’t have the courage to tell my parents, I was in a state of shock. I dealt with this trauma all alone.

This day I realized, I’m not safe anywhere as long as there are men around me. Regardless of whose daughter I am. But after 5 years, today when I finally have the courage to talk about this publicly, I just can’t feel weaker than this. I regret not doing anything, I regret letting that monster free, I regret not speaking up for myself, and most of all, I regret being scarred.

Every woman, girl and child out there needs to know how important it is to speak up. Yes, I understand how you are just not in a state to do anything at all, but the least you could do is, share it with someone you trust. I’m sure they’ll hate to see you go through that and it’ll be taken care of.

Don’t be afraid of what you went through. Get up, be stronger, take action against it and walk out of it proud. It’ll hurt less and you’d know, you probably saved a hundred others from going through the trauma that you went through.

You’re the only one who can protect yourself. You’re your only superhero. Trust me.